Brazil Mid-March Consumer Prices Rise Less Than Analysts Predict

Brazil’s consumer prices in mid- March rose less than economists forecast, easing pressure on the central bank to raise rates next month. Swap rates fell.

Prices as measured by the IPCA-15 price index rose 0.49 percent in the month through mid-March, the national statistics agency said in a report published on its website. That was less than the 0.53 percent median estimate from 33 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Annual inflation accelerated to 6.43 percent from 6.18 percent in mid-February.